Redemption
by Brad Lionheart
Summary: This Is the story of Brad Lionheart, Months after the events of the pain of loss


(This takes place after Revenge)

Brad has had a hard time ever since Sakua's death; he has secluded himself from most of the people in the village. His upbeat attitude towards life had vanished. One day he was given a mission to go to the village hidden in the mist and assassinates a yakuza under boss, he was to be on the mission with Kakashi, Ino, and Shino. When they arrived, Kakasi said "this mission will cause us to be here for a while, set up an alibi and be ready to go in two months, we will meet here." Before Brad decided to set up an alibi, he rented an apartment and left his ninja gear there so the town's people would not suspect anything. Brad decided to get a job at a local Raman shop as a sweeper. One day he was sweeping up the shop after closing and heard a sound in an ally and walked over to see what it was, he looked to see a man in a dark blue throw a brown headed woman to the ground. "You still owe money to Yamata" the man said. He was about to strike the women when Brad grabbed his hand. "Dose this make you feel like a man? Pushing her around?" The man wiggled out of Brad's grip and said "I'm a ninja for the Yakuza, don't mess with me if you know what's good for you!" the man said as he pulled out a sword. 'Knew I should have bought my sword.' brad thought to himself as he used the broom in his hands as a sword. The man struck at Brad, his strike cut the broom in two, and Brad threw it down and did a series of hand sighs and said. "Fire style: fireball jutsu!" and incinerated the man. Brad walked over to the women. "Are you ok?" "I should be fine, I think I..." she fell to the ground, blood coming out of her side."You're not all right, here, let me help." Brad ripped his shirt and bandaged up her wound. He helped her up and asked "did that men have people that worked with him? Do they know where you live?" "Yes they know where I live." "Then it's dangerous that you go home, I'm taking you with Me." brad said as he lifted the women onto his back and walked to his house. "Who are you?" the women asked. "I'm Brad Lionheart, what about you?" "Rinoa Kato." she said. Brad turned his head back to look at the woman; she looked a lot like Sakua, big brown eyes, and fair skin, the only big difference was that she had long black hair. "Why do you owe those men money?" Brad asked Rinoa, "I needed money for food..." Brad looked at the women, "Don't worry, I'll protect you." Brad said. They arrived at the apartment. Brad walked in with Rinoa right behind him. "I will sleep here in the living room and you can go head and sleep in the bed, just let me get my things." He said as he walked into the room. Brad took of his jacket and pulled off what remained of his shirt, reached into a pocket in the jacket and pulled out a blue headband and put it in front of a picture of Sakua. "So, you're a ninja?" Brad turned around to see Rinoa standing there. He paused for a moment and said "Yes I am, sorry I did not tell you before, that is how I killed the man that attacked you, I'm sorry I did not tell you before." He turned around and looked at the photo of him and Sakua. He then felt a cold finger along his back and heard Rinoa say "So many scars, is this what happens in the life of a ninja?" "Yes, I have my share of scars from the past, but I'm surprised, you're from the village hidden in the mist, you don't know about the life of a ninja?" Brad asked. "Well, I am not from this village, from what the Yakuza told me, my parents came here from Konoha, but I do not know why…" Rinoa said. Brad turned to look at the women. "A Yakuza told you this? Why would he tell you that?" "Because I never rely knew my parents, Yamata told me if I pay him all the money I owe him, he will tell me about my parents." She said. "Who is that in the photo with you?" Rinoa said as she walked over to the photo. "That is the only person I rely cared for, the only person I would kill for, Her name is Sakua Hino, she is no longer among us now…" Brad said as he clenched his necklace around his neck. "Oh, I'm so sorry, if you don't mind me asking, what happen?" Rinoa asked in a caring tone. Brad looked into her eyes, 'those eyes look so much like Sakua's' he thought to himself. 'But she is not Sakua, I need to accept that, there is no way I can bring her back.' "She died protecting me during the attack on Konoha…" Brad explained the event to Rinoa. (The events in 'the pain of lose, and revenge') "That's what happens." "The tone of your voice, it sounds like you blame yourself for her death." Rinoa said with her caring eyes fixed on Brad's. "And why shouldn't I? She died protecting me, if I would not have met her, she would be alive today." Brad said as a tear fell from his eye. At that moment, Rinoa put her arms around Brad, "It's not your fault Brad, it sounds to me like she loved you with her whole being, that necklace around you neck proves that." She said as her grip tightened. Brad put his arms around the women, "Then why dose it hurt so much? Why is it when I think of what happen, I think I could have done more?" "It's because you loved her with all your heart and soul, I think she would like you to live your life, it was three years ago Brad, you have missed out on so much because of this." Rinoa said as tears started to fall from her eyes as well. Brad looked down at Rinoa and said, "Thank you so much, I have not talked to anyone like this in so long. Thank you." The embrace broke and Rinoa said "It was my pleaser, so when do you need to go back to… wait, what village do you come form anyway?" 'Crap' Brad thought to himself, 'I want to tell her, but it will break the rules…' "So, which village is it?" '…. Forget the rules; they have only caused me pain. It is as Kakashi says "those who break the rules are scum, but those who don't help there friends are lower then scum." ' "I come form Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves." Brad said to Rinoa. "Wow! I heard that people form Konoha are rely strong, it's rumored that everyone in that village has a Kikki Genki, is it true?" "I don't know about everyone, but I know I do." "What is yours?" She asked with curies eyes. Brad closed he's eyes and said "Well, I'm a cousin of the Uchiha clan, so…" Brad opened his eyes to reveal the Sharingan. "… I have the Sharingan." Brad paused for a moment and sensed and saw an immense amount of chakra around Rinoa. 'There's no way a normal person can have this much chakra, her parents must be ninjas…' Brad thought. "What is it?" Rinoa said. 'Could she be a mist ninja?... no, no one form the mist besides the Mizukage can have this amount of chakra or can be this nice. She's telling the truth when she talks to me.' "It's nothing, tell you what, you want to learn to protect yourself?" Brad asked. "Where did this come from?" Rinoa asked. "I just want to know, I could train you, if you want." "Ok! I think this will be fun!" Rinoa said with enthusiasm. "Ok, we will start you training in the forest outside of this village tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Brad and Rinoa arrived in the middle of the forest. "So, what do you want me to do?" Brad's basic training was the same training his sensei trained him with, running up a tree, walking on water and chakra evacuation, witch she mastered all in the first try. "Wow, your amazing Rinoa, it took me months to master all those training exercises." Brad said. 'There has to be something behind her power, maybe a Kikki Genki?' He thought. "Thank you, but this stuff was easy, can we try some harder stuff?" She asked. "If you think you can handle it, lets move on to jutsu." Brad explained the system of jutsus to her. "Ok, I get it, but how do you activate these jutsu?" Rinoa asked. "You just use hand sighs, like this." Brad put his hands together. "Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" and sprayed fire on a patch of ground in front of him. "Ok, let me try." She said as she walked next to Brad. "Wait, I need to show you the hand sighs so you can do it." "Don't worry about it, I saw what you did." She quickly did a few hand signs and used the jutsu. "How in the heck did you do that!?" Brad asked Rinoa. "I don't know, I just saw what you did and knew what I needed to do." Brad was confused, was this woman apart of the Uchiha clan? He looked at the woman's eyes and put his hand in front of them and said "Stand still, I need to see something." He focused a burst of chakra through his hand that hit Rinoa and knocked her to the ground. "What did you do that for?" She yelled. When she opened her eyes, they where a different color. They looked like the Sharingan, they where a dark green color and they had points like the Sharingan, but these eyes had five points, not three. 'So, her eyes are like mine, but different as well, Kakashi did say the Sharingan was a diffusion of the Byakugan, so it would not be surprising that there are more then those two.' He thought as Rinoa got up off the ground. "Sorry about that, just had to test a theory of mine, now I know why you have so much charka control and able to learn jutsus so fast." Brad said. "How?" She asked. "You have a Kikki Genki; your parents must have been ninja, because your ability is like my own." Brad told her. "Are you saying were related?" She asked. "No, I don't think so, even thou it looks like mine, I don't think we are related, while my Kikki Genki eyes are red, yours are green, and I only have three points, yours have five." He said, explaining it the best way he could. "Ok, so what dose this mean?" "It means that your training will be a lot easier." He said. For the next month, he trained Rinoa in all the same training that Kakashi trained him and Sauske in to train there Sharingans. During her training, Brad developed a bound with Rinoa, they where more then friends, but it was also stronger then the bound of master and student.

One month later, Rinoa's Basic Training was complete, and with her Kikki Genki, which they called the Guaringan, she knew a lot of Konoha's jutsus. Brad knew that he would be put to trial if anyone found out about what he had done here, but he was willing to do this, for he had cared for Rinoa like only one before her. With the final day of training complete, Brad asked Rinoa "Now that you have learned to be a ninja, what will you do now?" "Go after the Yakuza, they know about my past that I need to know." She said as she brushed dust off her pants. "Revenge doesn't help; I know personally, there will still be a hole in your heart that will not be filled by that." Brad stated. "You mean Sakua? Your heart will heal, it may take a while, but it will, trust me on that." She said as she wrapped her arms around Brad. "I'm sorry, but I need to do this, I need to find out about my past." Brad pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. "If you're so sure on this, then I will help you." "You can't! What about your mission? Won't you get in trouble?" She said, scared for Brad's safety. "To tell the truth, I don't care if I get tried as a traitor, I have been closed off for so long, I've hid my pain for so long with jokes and being something I'm not. I have a nindo; my new nindo is to protect everyone I can, everyone I care about, no matter what the cost to me is. That is why I must help you Rinoa; it's because of Sakua that I realized that the ninja rules are just words on paper that mean nothing in the real world." Brad said. "So, where is there hideout at?" "I will take you there." Rinoa said as they walked to a large building. They stood in front of the building. "You sure you want to do this Brad?" "There's no going back now. If where going to do this lets go." Brad said as he activated his Sharingan. "Ok, let's go." Rinoa said, activating her Guaringan. They ran towards the guards standing at the gate. Brad Drew his sword and killed them both without thinking twice. They ran into the building and saw many ninja standing in there way. Brad glanced down at Rinoa to see fear in her eyes. "You sure you want to do this? You still have time to turn back, if you follow the path of the ninja, this will be what you will face." Brad said. "Yes, I am willing to walk this path, this will be my life, I'm sick of being weak" She said. Brad put his sword away and put his hands together, "Rinoa, remember that jutsu I showed you, the mutable being one? Use it now!" Brad said. At that moment, a cloud of white smoke enveloped the room and when it evaporated, there where 1000 Brads and Rinoas in the room. Brad grabbed the real Rinoa and said, "Let the shadow clones take care of these guys, lets get to there boss." Brad said as he started to run towards a set of stares, with Rinoa following him. They made it to the top of the stares when they saw a man sitting behind a desk. He turned around and said. "Rinoa, I'm so glad to see you here, do you have my money?" "Forget the money Yamata; I want to know about my parent!" She yelled as she grabbed a kunai off the ground. "You mean the parents that abandoned you? Yes, they left you for dead in a different land, you where from the land of fire, the village of Konoha and I took you in, and raised you, but you left and said you wanted to live your own life, so I lent you some money and let you go on your way. It makes me sad you don't remember." Yamata said. Brad looked over to see that Rinoa was trying to remember, but she could not. All of a sudden, 4 ninja appeared around them. All rouge ninja, one from the land of fire, one from mist, one from thunder, and one from sound. "Rinoa, get behind me!" Brad said as he used the Earth dragon bomb Jutsu on the fire ninja. "I'm helping you Brad, were a team!" Rinoa said as she used the fireball jutsu. Brad's eyes widen, 'those are the same words she used.' He thought to himself. The two remaining ninja jumped into the air and threw kunai at Rinoa. The moment before they hit her, Brad threw himself in front of her, letting the kunai hit him in the back. "Brad! Why did you do that?!" She yelled. Brad pulled the Kunai out of his body and said, "That's how Sakua died, I'm not letting that happen again!" He ran towards the ninja and knocked him out with tijutsu. Brad fell to one knee in pain. "Brad!" Rinoa yelled as she ran towards him. "Rinoa stop!" Brad yelled, she stopped in her tracks. "I'm fine; you came here for your own mission, now complete it! That is the life you chose." He said as he rose up off the ground. She nodded and ran towards Yamata. She jumped and said. "What you're telling me is that you adopted me? Then why did you send the Yakuza after me!" she said as she pointed the kunai in her hand at his face. "Because your parents disrespected me when you where a little girl, they disrespected me by killing a few of my men, and they abandoned you, that I could not forgive." He said. "So you had your men beat me and hurt me!" she yelled as tears started to form. Brad walked over to her and said "Now what will you do Rinoa, you found out the truth, what will you do?" "Is this the man who trained you? We will have a little talk when she goes home." Yamata said. Before Brad could start a sentience, Rinoa threw the kunai and hit Yamata in the head, killing him instantly. "Rinoa… why did you do that?" Brad asked. "His 'little talks' end up in killing someone. I will not let you get hurt; you have been hurt too much in your life." Rinoa said as she jumped off the desk. "So now what will you do?" Brad asked. "Well since I'm form Konoha, maybe I can go back?" she asked Brad. "Well… it will be hard, but I will convince Tsunade to let you in." He said as him and Rinoa

(1 week later.)

"What where you thinking training a person not of our village!" Brad was sent to trial for treason for what he did in his time in the land of waves. One of the elders said. "You could have destroyed the whole village with the information you have given!" Brad stood there, silent and no emotion on his face. "What do you have to say for your self?" "I did what needed to be done, she was in trouble, she needed my help. You have always preached how important the ninja rules are, but I could care less for those rules, my nindo is what I follow! Not your rules, if I could do that moment over and over in time a hundred of times, I would choose the same thing every time." He said as he looked at Tsunade, trying to explain why he did what he did. As Brad explained what he had done, Rinoa waited in the next room, waiting for the trial to be over. "That's it, that's all that happen." Brad said. Tsunade stood up and asked Brad "What will you do if we sentence you to not be a ninja, or even death?" "Then I will fight my way out of here, I will become a rouge ninja and still follow my nindo." He said as he pulled off his headband and put a kunai to it, preparing to engrave it with a long cut crossed the face of the metal. There was a long pause as the sixth hokage deliberated in her mind what to do. She knew Brad to be a kind hearted boy and would never do anything to endanger the village on prepuce. "Is she willing to join the village?" she asked. "Yes, she was from Konoha to start with, she told me she would like nothing more then to be apart of Konoha." Brad said. "Fine, she can stay, but you will be held responsible for anything she dose. Is that clear?" Tsunade said. With a smile on his face, he put his headband on his head and said "Yes Lord Hokage, thank you so much." As Brad was walking out, one of the elders said "What are you doing Lord Hokage?! He has no punishment or anything?!" "Brad is a kind hearted young man; he has been though much in his life, he has been down the same path as I have. He would not do this just to spite this village, it will be fine, trust me on this." Brad walked out of the room and looked at Rinoa. She sprung up and asked. "What did they say Brad?" Without a word, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a green headband and handed it to Rinoa. Excited by the news, she wrapped her arms around Brad. They pulled away from each other and walked out of the building, holding hands.

Brads heart had finally been healed.


End file.
